RA Foreign Minister's telephone conversation with the US Deputy Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs

On December 9, RA Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan had a telephone conversation with US Deputy Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried. They addressed issues related to regional security and stability.

Thoughts were exchanged on the settlement of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. The willingness of the US to support the peace process in the South Caucasus was emphasized.

During the telephone conversation, the process of border security and demarcation between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as the unblocking of transport infrastructures in the region, was also touched upon.

Emphasizing the efforts made by Armenia to establish peace, Minister Mirzoyan noted that the security situation in the region is fragile, and the probability of new provocations by Azerbaijan remains high.

The preliminary investigation confirmed the fact that Azerbaijan used a phosphorus bomb during the war - Artsakh Prosecutor's Office

In order to investigate the circumstances of the aggressive war unleashed against the Republic of Artsakh by the armed forces of Azerbaijan from September 27, 2020, coupled with gross violations of international humanitarian law, a number of criminal cases were initiated by the law enforcement bodies of the Republic of Artsakh, within the framework of which the preliminary investigation body seized many unexploded shells and projectiles, examinations were appointed.

As reported by the Artsakh prosecutor's office, the unexploded rocket found in the administrative area of Martuni city of Artsakh and the samples obtained from it were also submitted for examination by the investigator of the Investigative Committee. According to the conclusion given as a result of the research carried out by an independent expert group (the conclusion was received on 07.12.2022), it was proved that it is a phosphorus munition consisting of white phosphorus.

Ministry of Internal Affairs to be created in Armenia: The National Assembly adopted the bill

A Ministry of Internal Affairs will be established in Armenia. The RA National Assembly adopted the bill with 65 votes in favor and 28 against. NA Speaker Alen Simonyan informed that some deputies left their vote.

Deputy Minister of Justice Arpine Sargsyan said that in terms of content, this means parliamentary and civil control over the police sector.

She added that the ministries of internal affairs in democratic countries allow for the development of the police as a specialized structure, not as a power structure that performs a certain punitive function in the country.

Sargsyan informed that three services will be included in the ministry to be created: Rescue Service, Police, Migration, and Citizenship Service.

Nikol Pashinyan and Vladimir Putin met in Bishkek

After the meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council held in Bishkek, the meeting between the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin took place. Russia remains Armenia’s leading trade-economic partner, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during the meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Bishkek.

In January-September, the trade turnover between RA and EAEU countries increased by 80% compared to the same period in 2021 - Pashinyan

RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan participated in the regular session of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. The leaders of the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union also participated in the latter: Presidents of the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and the Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, a Country Observer in EAEU, also participated in the session with an expanded composition.

The leaders of the EAEU countries were welcomed by the President of Kyrgyzstan at the Ala-Archa state residence in Bishkek, after which a joint photo shoot ceremony took place.

First, the session was held with a narrow and then with an extended composition.

"The trade turnover between Armenia and EAEU countries in January-September of this year amounted to more than 3 billion USD and increased by about 80% compared to the same period in 2021," RA Prime Minister Pashinyan mentioned in his speech at the regular session of the Eurasian Economic Council.

In the USA, RA Human Rights Defender presented the consequences of Azerbaijan's aggression on the sovereign territory of Armenia on September 13-14

As part of her visit to the USA, RA Human Rights Defender Kristine Grigoryan met with Kara C. McDonald, US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor in Washington on December 9.

McDonald expressed her satisfaction with the meeting with the Defender, then the parties exchanged ideas on the state of human rights in Armenia, and priority issues were discussed.

During the meeting, the Defender presented the consequences of the Azerbaijani aggression and attack on the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia on September 13-14, particularly the continuous violations of human rights documented by Human Rights Watch.

The interlocutor was also interested in a number of individual cases related to human rights. Kara McDonald reaffirmed that the US government continues to work in the direction of humanitarian issues. At the end of the meeting, the parties agreed to continue cooperation.

Other News

• On December 9, Chairman of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Alen Simonyan received Smail Benamara, the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria to the Republic of Armenia.

• Armenian and Russian Defense Ministers, Suren Papikyan and Sergei Shoigu met within the frames of the meeting of defense ministers of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Commonwealth of Independence States (CIS) in Moscow.

• From December 8 to 9, the delegation led by Hamlet Batikyan, Secretary General of the RA Ministry of Defense, participated in the NATO international conference entitled "The role of building goodwill in the Armed Forces in the protection of democratic values and strengthening of public and institutional resilience" in Brussels, RA Ministry of Defense reports.

• The special representative of the European Union, Toivo Klaar, left for Istanbul from Yerevan.  Klaar wrote about this on Twitter, without specifying what meetings he will have in Turkey.